25 Useful Tips for Beginner Surfers

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Is surfing something you’ve always wanted to try, but you weren’t too sure you’d be good at it? Or maybe you were afraid you would fail? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back, future surfer!

BookSurfCamps.com has 25 tips for beginner surfers that will help you start your surfer life and during your first few attempts at surfing. We say attempts because they will most likely be just that: attempts. Aside from these useful tips, we’re here to also remind you to expect to put in some work! Nobody ever jumped on a surfboard and surfed a big wave. Just like any other sport, you need to put in some time and effort to learning and becoming better at it. But don’t let this scare you, surfing is one of the most beautiful sports out there and a wonderful way to relax, work out, and meet great people. If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to becoming a great surfer!

Before You Get on in the Water

Picture source: surfertoday.com

Don’t Learn to Surf by Yourself

No matter how easy you think it looks, never, ever approach surfing by yourself. Either get an experienced friend to teach you or go to a surf camp, in order to avoid injuring yourself or even putting your life in danger.

Choose a Good Teacher

If you decide to take some surf lessons, research the teacher in advance. Make sure they are experienced and have good reviews. Sometimes, a good teacher won’t just teach you how to surf, but they’ll inspire you and make you love surfing.

Use a Big Surfboard

This is one of the best beginner surfing tips you could ever follow. A large board will offer you a bigger surface to learn on and they’re also much better floatation devices.

Soft-Top Surfboards Also Help

For some beginners, soft-top surfboards also help with the learning process. A large and soft-top surfboard is going to be gentle on your feet and posterior. Make no mistake, at the beginning, you’ll be spending a lot of time sitting on it, rather than standing!

Always Use a Surf Leash

This one is a very important safety requirement, not just a cool tip! It will take you a while to get used to it, and it will get in your way a few times, but a surf leash can potentially save your life, so make sure you are never without one!

Do Some Light Exercises

It is essential that you do a little warm up before you enter the water. Stretching out your muscles and tendons will decrease the chances of muscle cramps and it will also increase your heart rate, thus oxygenating your blood and pumping you up for the action!

Use a Beach for Beginners

Using a beach that is appropriate for beginner surfers is crucial to your surfing success. Learn to surf on a beach known for good, steady waves and the whole learning process will be smoother and you’ll be upgrading your beach in no time!

Spend Some Time on Dry Land First

Now that you’re at the beach, don’t rush in the water. Spend some time on the beach and do your light workout. Go through all the moves you plan doing in the water. Check your costume, your leash, and you board, and also…

Pay Attention to the Water

Before you make your way into the water, look at the waves and study them. See how and where they break. Keep your eye on the other surfers and see what they do. You should do this every single time before you go into the water, not just as a beginner surfer.

Don’t Be Afraid

We know that learning new stuff can be quite overwhelming, but take a few deep breaths, even do some light meditation, and center yourself. Remember that this is something you want to do and something that you will most likely enjoy doing for a long time!

In the Water

Picture source: surfertoday.com

Pace Yourself

Once you get into the water, you will need to pace yourself. We know how excited you may feel, but if you don’t pace yourself, you can risk injury! Remember, you have all the time in the world to surf!

Start Small

We know this may be a commonsensical advice, but it needs to be said: start small! Tackle small waves before you attempt larger ones. Even though you may feel ready, unless your teacher says you’re ready, you’re not! Also, don’t even dream of tackling big wave surfing, until you’ve mastered regular surfing.

Don’t Get Tangled with the Big Dogs

This advice ties in with our previous one: don’t get tangled with the big dogs, which means pretty much to stay away from where the experienced surfers are surfing. As a beginner, you’re prone to making lots of mistakes, and you want to avoid getting in people’s way, causing trouble.

Practice Sitting

As weird as it may sound, sitting on a surfboard, while in the water, isn’t the easiest, nor the most comfortable thing in the world. You can either sit on the surfboard with your feet out of the water, which is not so comfortable, but safe; or you can dangle your feet in the water, which offers a lot more stability, but then you’re a bit more open to ocean wildlife. Which brings us to our next tip…

Master the Prone Position by Heart

The prone position is something you will need to master. First, you need to get comfortable in it while on dry land. Lie on your surfboard, balanced and centered. Feel the surfboard, move around and try to master it before you venture out into the water.

Practice Your Pop Out

Once you got the prone position, you will need to learn how to pop out. The pop up from prone position should be swift and seamless. Think of push-ups, as the two are very similar. Practice while on land and in the water.

Keep Your Feet Moving

While in the water, you need to learn to keep moving your feet. Shuffle them, move them around, while swimming or on the board, just don’t let them dangle away as if they weren’t attached to your body. If you keep moving them, the chances of being stung, bit or something along those lines is reduced.

Exercise Your Paddling

Paddling is another thing you will need to practice until you get it right. The key is to find a rhythm and to keep it. This also requires you to be in shape, because it will be quite exhausting the first few times.

Learn to Avoid Nose Dives

Before anything, know that you will nose dive. Every surfer has done it, and you will also do it! In order to avoid nose dives as much as possible, it is really important to learn how to position your surfboard to the waves. Talk to your teacher about nose dives for more information.

Get Used to Wipeouts

If there’s one certainty when learning to surf, it’s the fact that you will be involved in a lot of wipeouts. You will fall, and fall, and fall… and then you’ll fall some more. The waves will knock you down, you’ll get confused, and frustrated, and you’ll even get some bruises. All you need to remember is that it’s all part of the game.